'Beetlejuice' Halloween Costumes and Decorations: Dress Like Lydia or Barbara With These DIY TikTok Ideas

Tim Burton’s iconic film Beetlejuice may have come out in 1988, but that hasn’t stopped fans from continuing to incorporate it into their Halloween celebrations over the last 36 years. The release of the new movie Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice also means the iconic characters and story elements are even more popular than ever. Looking to pay homage to the movie? Thankfully, you don’t have to spend a lot to dress up your home or yourself during the spooky season. Below, you’ll find DIY Beetlejuice Halloween costumes and decorations from TikTok that you can create for impressive results! 

‘Beetlejuice’ Halloween Costumes 

Barbara Maitland 

One of the movie’s most iconic – and visually shocking – scenes involves ghost Barbara Maitland, played by Geena Davis. Alongside husband Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin), she attempts to haunt the new, living residents of their home to scare them off. In one incident, the pair distort their appearances to try and shock them. 

For Barbara, this means a stretched-out face with eyeballs visible in the back of her throat. In the video below, TikTok user @t00thluvvr.cos showed how she brought this to life with her own DIY costume. A baseball cap, wire, aluminum foil and paper maché created the structure. With a paint job and hair extensions, the horrifying mask was finished! 

Lydia Deetz 

Lydia Deetz (played by Winona Ryder) has a rather dark wardrobe throughout most of the movie. Despite this, many movie fans love to recreate the bright red wedding dress she dons for her unwilling nuptials to Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton). 

TikTok user @jordaneaerley9 highlighted how she sewed her own dress using fabric scraps and upcycled garments to create her own Beetlejuice costume. Watch below: 

Looking for an easier costume inspired by the horror comedy? You can put one together and channel your inner Lydia in no time. TikTok user @monicaeddyart showed how a black sunhat, black dress, black lace shirt and a camera can bring the look together. 

Shrunken Head Bob 

In the waiting room of the afterlife, Beetlejuice finds himself alongside Shrunken Head Bob. Fans of the movie will immediately recognize this character, and it’s sure to be a hit at any Halloween get-together. 

Creating the costume at home can be done; it just takes a little creativity and patience! In the Tik Tok video below, @aliciawhohall used a paper maché skull as the base of the head, then enlisted the help of air-dry clay and doll hair. Nude fabric, a cardboard box, a shirt and pants rounded out the costume. 

See how it all comes together in the video below:  

Beetlejuice 

Beetlejuice’s eye-catching black and white striped suit has continued to be a popular costume for decades. Though store-bought versions for both men and women exist at retailers like Spirit Halloween, you don’t have to pay the hefty price tag for them! All you need is an old suit jacket and pants (either your own or from a thrift store). 

TikTok user @shelbysessler revealed how you can use simple painters' tape on the garment and some white spray paint to recreate the look. 

Adam Maitland

The perfect pairing to Barbara’s horrifying “mask” is that of Adam, who stretches his own face to a beak-like appearance in the film. Like the aforementioned DIY costume, one TikTok user (@clementine_art) made her own version beginning with a hat as the base. 

Cardboard tubes, aluminum foil and plenty of tape are the supplies she used to build the structure. In the second video, she finished the impressive mask with paper maché, paint and other details. 

‘Beetlejuice’ Halloween Decorations 

If you aren’t planning to dress up for Halloween but still want to add a touch of Beetlejuice to your home, consider making one of these clever DIY decorations. 

‘Beetlejuice’ centerpiece 

In 2022, Target’s Halloween collection featured several items that were very reminiscent of the movie’s aesthetic. TikTok user @chontellemakes put them together to create her own Beetlejuice-inspired centerpiece. (Click through for more Halloween centerpiece ideas). 

Though the decorations may not be sold this year, it’s still easy to create a similar display. You can paint a faux pumpkin black and white and do the same with fake snakes. Add those onto a black tray, and top with black candles and purple and black faux foliage. 

Sandworm 

For an impressive outdoor display, TikTok user @ali_bongo24 wanted to create her very own sandworm. According to comments on the video, she used industrial piping and added duct tape to create the stripes. 

Then she placed the piping pieces at various spots outside of her house to make it appear as though the sandworm was slithering its way through walls. Spooky! 

‘Beetlejuice’ plant

On a smaller scale, a sandworm can also be turned into an eye-catching indoor decoration. In one craft, @totsandtouchdowns on TikTok formed tentacle shapes with modeling clay, then painted them with blank paint. 

Once dry, the pieces were added to a ceramic pot she had painted black. Colorful faux moss (in purple, green and black) rounded out the craft. 

'Beetlejuice' sign 

Though a bit more involved than the other decorations, you can even make your own Beetlejuice sign — complete with working lights! For a visual reference of how you can do it yourself, watch the video below posted by @epi_tami on TikTok: 

'Beetlejuice' hand sculpture 

Want your neighbors to be surprised by your artistic skills? Consider creating the hand-like sculpture that comes to life at one point in the film. The team of Dave & Aubrey on TikTok (user @horrorprops) walked their followers through the process of making the sculpture out of PVC pipes, foam blocks, pool noodles and more. 

If you’re short on storage or yard space, you can always make one on a smaller scale, as one commenter excitedly vowed to do. For inspiration, watch the video below: 

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